Personally I'm happy to see that Buffalo's Khalil Mack was recognized for his play. All too often with these awards we see deserving players from smaller conferences passed over, so it's nice to see Mack recognized alongside his brethren from the Pac-12, SEC and Big Ten.

The Butkus Award is obviously named after former Illinois linebacker and NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus. Last year's recipient was Notre Dame's Manti Te'o.